Running on the Disney Dream

A family vacation on the Disney Dream is a treat that your whole family will enjoy. Fortunately, running while cruising on the Disney Dream is both easy and enjoyable.

Disney Dream at sea

The three of us took our first cruise a little over a year ago, a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas out of Port Canaveral upon the Disney Dream. Being addicted to running, I made it a part of the experience. On board, you can either run laps around Deck 4 or go to the fitness center on Deck 11. I avoid treadmills unless no other option exists. The walking/jogging track around deck 4 is 0.4 miles long. You might think that it would be boring, but I quite enjoyed it.

Disney Dream cruise ship Deck

The deck is made of trex-like material which has good traction, even when wet. It is plenty wide along the sides of the ship, but fairly narrow around the front and rear. There are mirrors around turns which are very helpful as to not run head-on into others. The best thing about running on deck 4 is the view. I ran each morning as the ship was pulling into port. The views were spectacular, whether pulling into Castaway Cay or into Nassau. One of the major joys of running to me is taking in the sights. Seeing the waves, the islands in the distance, the rising sun, the pastel buildings, and other ships was sheer joy. Having a new perspective with each lap from the movement of the ship, to me, made it even more interesting. The breeze from the water made it very comfortable, too. It did not feel like running in circles.

Cons: The only con I can think of is being fairly “restricted” to running in the morning due to crowds. The deck is rarely very crowded, but with people looking overboard, relaxing deck chairs and playing shuffle board, it would be hard to keep a steady pace.

Castaway Cay Disney’s Private Island

runDisney has a 5K, untimed, free, fun-run on Castaway Cay. I did not know about this when we took the cruise. Check with the ship activity director or concierge to sign up. I wish I had known. Next time!

So, if you are a runner or walker, don’t forget your running shoes and shorts. You will enjoy it. I recommend running in the early morning as the track is not crowded, the breeze cools you, and the sights are the best.

extra tip: The shower gel supplied makes great “detergent” to hand wash sweaty clothes in the cabin sink, that can then be hung to dry in the shower.